University applications in the UK have dropped by 12% this year, a drop that has been caused by the upcoming introduction of increased tuition fees.

Although union leaders claim these figures were proof that ministers’ decisions to increase tuition fees to £9,000 had been “a disaster”, the tuition fees increase looks set to have a positive effect on the number of would-be university students applying for apprenticeships and vocational courses. 

Paul Davis, managing director of Perspective, commented: “This drop in university application numbers clearly indicates a change in emphasis in education habits, with many young people looking to avoid the high debts now associated with university education and instead choosing to continue their education through other avenues.”

As well as the increase in tuition fees, an increase in apprenticeships and vocational courses is expected to come due to a government drive to encourage new apprenticeship applications. A recent survey of new apprenticeship applications found that applications from 18-year-olds had risen 18%, whilst applications from 19-to-24-year-olds were up 22%, illustrating the how many young people are turning to vocational courses to help increase their job prospects in the current overcrowded jobs market.